Stocking



w. .L MCCLELLAND STOCKING Fi'tled April yzo, 1925 Patented @esta 2 lg Application filed [April 20, i925. Serial No. 24,536.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that l, WVM/ran el. liloCLnL- Lann, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Grange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful improvements in Stockings, of which the following is a specification.

rlfhis invention relates to stockings or hose, and particularly to stockings of the turned down or top cuff type. it will be recognized, however, that in many of its aspects, the in'vention is not limited to stockings of that particular type, but is generally applicable to stockings of various types.

lin the manufacture of stockings of the turned down or top cuff type, considerable difficulty has been heretofore encountered in making the. cuff so that it will retain its initial form and at the same time possess lsufficient elasticity to` grip the leg of the wearer and hold the stocking in proper position thereon. |llhis difficulty is increased from a practical and commercial standpoint by limitations imposed by style and customs upon the selection of stocking materials, and also by problems arising in the successful dyeing of the stockings. Ordinarily, the complete stocking, including the cuff, is formed from silk or similar material which is pleasing to the eye and comfortable to the wearer. The stocking is knitted from white or uncolored yarns, and thereafter dyed as a whole to obtain the desired color,

or, in other words, `the stocking is dip-dyed. The top of the stocking is thereafter turned down to produce the cuil in a well known manner. Stockings produced in the manner describedV possess many marked advantages,

among which are economy in manufacture,

au and, if care in the selection of yarns is used, reasonable durability. On the other hand, however, he cuff is too flimsy to retain its shape, an is not sufliciently elastic to aid in supporting the stocking. Furthermore, it

an is frequently desirableto form the cuff of the stocking with fancy or contrasting strips which necessarily can not be obtained when the stocking is d ed as a whole.

A general object of this invention is to provide an improved stocking of the top cuff type which retains the desirable characteristics of stockings of the type heretofore in use without the disadvantages incident to either the manufacture or use thereof.

A further object of this invention .is to provide a stocking in which the top cuff is titi suiiiciently stili to retain its shape and at the same tiineelastic enough to grip the leg of the wearer and hold the stocking in place.

A further feature of the invention consists in a stocking in which the leg of the stocking is dye-dipped and the top cuff is formed of ingrained yarn.

ln a further aspect, the invention provides a novel method of making a top cuff stocking.

These and other features of the invention and the novel method referred to will appear' more fully from the following detailed de' scription when read in connection with the accompanying drawing and will be pointed out in the appended claim.

ln the drawing:

Figure l is a side elevation of a stocking; constructed in accordance with the present invention;

F ig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of the cuil prior to the folding thereof;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of astocking showing the cuff as folded prior to attachment with the stocking leg; and y Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken through the top of a finished stocking.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, 2 indicates the main body portion or leg of the stocking which vis preferably formed of silk or similar material, although the applicant does not limit the invention to the use of suchmaterial, and various other materials such as wool or cotton may be used if desired. Adjacent the top portion of the leg and knitted integral therewith is a relatively narrow strip of cotton 4. This strip 4 provides a strong backing or foundation for securing the c'uff to the leg portion, and in addition serves to reduce the cost of the complete stocking. The entire leg or body portion 4of the stocking is formed from white or uncolored yarn and subsequently:the complte leg is placed in a dye tuband dyed as a' whole to any desirable shade orcolor.

Permanently secured to the top of the leg portion, as at 6, is a two ply top portion 8, consisting of an outer layer A and an inner layer B. The outer layer A. preferably consists of a relatively wide strip 10 of cotton or other bulky material and a narrow strip 13 of silk or artificial silk. The inner layer B is formed by a relatively wide strip 14 of silk or artificial silk and a narrow strip 16 of cotton. The arrangements and waarna size of the strips of silk and cotton com osing the layerol2 the top 8 is such that w en the latter isiiolded outwardly at a point substantiallyY midway oiZ its length, a cnil2 18 is produced, the' cotton vportion of the cuil2 being completely covered and invisible,

while the silk portions are exposed 'to produce the effect of an all silk stocking inthe manner clearly illustrated in Figs. l and 4;.

rthe top portion 8 isY formed `from ingrained yarn as distinguished fromY the white or uncolored yarnY in the leg of the stocking. flngrain'ed yarn is yarn which has been dyed in the skein or in the thread, or

in otherjwords, the individual thread .is

dyed prior to its formation into a fabric. lln practically all oit' the standard processes -ifor dyeing thread in the skein, certain loading chemicals are utilized which give to the thread a hard and heavy finish. Vhen the linished thread is thereafter knitted into a fabric, the latter is smoother'and heavier in appearance than would be the case if the i same yarn in an uncolored condition were grained `yarn is very elastic, and consequently, the cu' formed therefrom will snugly grip the leg of the wearer to eiiectively hold the stocking in proper position Y upon the' leg of the wearer. ln addition to thefstiening eect produced by the use of ingrained thread in the cud, the presence of the hea and bulky cotton layer urther stidens t` e'cu and facilitates the bending of thetop te torni the cuff.

A nrther advantage in' the use oi2 inrained thread in the formation ot the curi1 of Ythe stocking resides in the ability to produce ancy and attractive cuffs which greatly enhancezthe appearance of the stocking. As illustrated in the drawing, the outer suritace oit the cud may be formed with a plurality ot stripes`2() or any desired width or color in accordancewith the style or individual taste. nSuch a result is, of course, impossible in`a dip-dyed stocking.

lin the manufacture of a stocking in ac-L cordance with the present invention, the leg is completely formed and thereafter dyed by the dipping process. Y rlChe top is then formed as a separate unit by yrst knitting a tubular endless length of fabric such as illus trated in lig. 2, the thread used being ingrained. 'lhe portion B is folded inwardly about a lineY 22 to produce the two ply top 8 as shownY in Fig. 3. After the top is secured tothe leg portion by any desirable means such as stitching/,the `top is folded outwardly to produce the cul 18, the complete stocking being shown in Fig. a.

Having described myninvention, what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A. method for making stockings, which Y consists' in knitting the leg portion of the stocking from uncolored yarn, dyeing the leg portion, vlrnittin the top portion from ingrained yarn, an securing the top portion to the previously dyed leg portion.

lln testimony whereof l set vmy signature'.

waarna JMCcLnLLhNn 

